# Electoral history of Jim Bolger

* This article is part of a series aboutJim Bolger
Early life
MP for King Country
Electoral history
Leader of the National Party
1986 leadership election
Leader of the Opposition
Shadow Cabinet
Prime Minister
Fourth National Government
Ruthanasia
Mother of all Budgets
Sealord deal
1993 MMP referendum
Tainui settlement
Cave Creek disaster
General elections
1990
1993
1996 :
vte :
This is a summary of the electoral history of Jim Bolger, Prime Minister of New Zealand (1990–97), Leader of the National Party (1986–97), and Member of Parliament for King Country (1972–96) then Taranaki-King Country (1996–97).

## Parliamentary elections
### 1972 election

General election, 1972: King Country :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | National | Jim Bolger | 7,107 | 48.0 |
| | Labour | Brent Clifton Sakey | 5,867 | 39.6 |
| | Social Credit | Derek Mason | 1,351 | 9.1 |
| | Liberal Reform | Saxby John Telfer | 191 | 1.3 |
| | Independent | Richard Alan Soundy | 185 | 1.3 |
| | New Democratic | John William Norman | 111 | 0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,240 | 8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,014 | 87.5 |

### 1975 election

General election, 1975: King Country :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Jim Bolger | 9,180 | 56.1 | +8.1 |
| | Labour | Thomas David Varnham | 4,864 | 29.8 | |
| | Social Credit | Derek Mason | 1,759 | 10.8 | +1.7 |
| | Values | Richard Louis Osborn | 546 | 3.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,316 | 26.3 | +17.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,440 | 80.3 | −7.2 |

### 1978 election

General election, 1978: King Country :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Jim Bolger | 6,804 | 44.6 | −11.5 |
| | Labour | Leo Menfy | 4,034 | 26.5 | |
| | Social Credit | Derek Mason | 3,997 | 26.2 | +15.4 |
| | Values | R Azariah | 409 | 2.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,770 | 18.1 | −8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,726 | 64.5 | −15.8 |

### 1981 election

General election, 1981: King Country :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Jim Bolger | 7,937 | 49.1 | +4.5 |
| | Social Credit | Derek Mason | 5,779 | 35.7 | +9.2 |
| | Labour | Pai Tahere | 2,460 | 15.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,158 | 13.4 | −4.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,878 | 86.0 | +21.5 |

### 1984 election

General election, 1984: King Country :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Jim Bolger | 10,040 | 55.1 | +6.0 |
| | Labour | James Edward Simons | 4,423 | 24.3 | |
| | Social Credit | Derek Mason | 2,027 | 11.1 | −24.6 |
| | NZ Party | Graham Short | 1,580 | 8.7 | |
| | Values | Peter Winter | 139 | 0.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,617 | 30.8 | +17.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,477 | 91.0 | +5.0 |

### 1987 election

General election, 1987: King Country :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Jim Bolger | 10,942 | 64.2 | +9.1 |
| | Labour | Leo Menfy | 4,988 | 29.3 | |
| | Democrats | Wayne Campbell Robert Morris | 1,115 | 6.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,954 | 34.9 | +4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,143 | 86.4 | −4.6 |

### 1990 election

General election, 1990: King Country :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Jim Bolger | 10,406 | 64.4 | +0.2 |
| | Labour | Cameron Gordon | 3,132 | 19.4 | |
| | Green | Laurence Cadman | 1,368 | 8.4 | |
| | NewLabour | Dion Martin | 497 | 3.0 | |
| | Social Credit | Mervyn Williamson | 496 | 3.0 | |
| | McGillicuddy Serious | Craig Louis Simmons | 107 | 0.6 | |
| | Democrats | Steven Wilton | 77 | 0.4 | |
| | Imperial British Conservative | Kate McDonald | 53 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,274 | 45.0 | +10.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,136 | | |

### 1993 election

General election, 1993: King Country :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Jim Bolger | 8,396 | 51.8 | −12.6 |
| | Labour | Murray Simpson | 3,890 | 24.0 | |
| | Alliance | Ian Herbert | 3,518 | 21.7 | |
| | Christian Heritage | Mark Anthony Jones | 539 | 3.3 | |
| | McGillicuddy Serious | Anand Hasyo | 220 | 1.3 | |
| | Natural Law | Euan Frederick Williams | 115 | 0.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,506 | 27.8 | −17.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,678 | | |

### 1996 election

General election, 1996: Taranaki-King Country :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | National | Jim Bolger | 14,934 | 54.0 |
| | NZ First | Robin Ord | 4,711 | 17.0 |
| | Labour | Peter Calvert | 3,575 | 12.9 |
| | Alliance | Kevin Campbell | 2,560 | 9.2 |
| | ACT | Trevor Johnson | 902 | 3.2 |
| | McGillicuddy Serious | Anand Hasyo | 288 | 1.0 |
| | Independent | Brett Power | 209 | 0.7 |
| | Natural Law | Joanna Greig | 101 | 0.3 |
| | Mana Māori | Jackie Amohanga | 74 | 0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,223 | 37.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,611 | |

## Leadership elections
### 1981 deputy leadership election
#### First ballot

| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Derek Quigley | 23 | 46.00% |
| Duncan MacIntyre | 20 | 40.00% |
| Jim Bolger | 7 | 14.00% |

#### Second ballot

| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Duncan MacIntyre | 26 | 52.00% |
| Derek Quigley | 24 | 48.00% |

### 1984 deputy leadership election

| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Jim McLay | 25 | 53.19% |
| Jim Bolger | 15 | 31.91% |
| Bill Birch | 7 | 14.89% |

### 1984 leadership election

| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Jim McLay | 22 | 62.85% |
| Jim Bolger | 8 | 22.85% |
| Robert Muldoon | 5 | 14.28% |

### 1986 leadership election

| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Jim Bolger | 25 | 65.78% |
| Jim McLay | 13 | 34.22% |